Breathe 2 AM
by Lightning Sage
Summary: -COMPLETE- A collection of vignettes regarding the lives of the YuGiOh! cast after the Pharaoh's departure for the afterlife.
1. Part I: 2 AM Mistake

This is a collection of vignettes inspired by Anna Nalick's "Breathe (2 AM)." If you would like to read the exact lyrics that I drew from to write this section, please see **CONTACT ME **under my profile to get links to my other fanfiction profiles.

Warnings: OOCness. AU, darkish. Sexual references (nothing explicit).

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_**Breathe (2 AM)**_

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_Yugi's_ _Point of View_

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I know that when Yami left for the afterlife, he thought he was doing us all a favor. But the fact is, after he was gone, everything changed for worse.

Anzu, for one, was stricken with grief. She had been in love with the Pharaoh for a long time, and seeing him leave was really hard on her.

She mourned over him for about a month, which was expected. We all did our best to cheer her up, but we couldn't force her to be happy until she was ready.

Then, one day, she had a change of heart.

"_Yugi, I'm tired of moping around. Being depressed won't bring Yami back. I need to get myself back out there and live my life."_

Naturally, I encouraged her to pursue that philosophy, although dating a new guy every week wasn't exactly what I had in mind for her.

And when dating wasn't enough for her to forget the love she'd lost, she took everything a step further—a step too far. I received the call at 2 AM.

"_Yugi, I'm such a terrible person…"_

"_Of course you aren't Anzu! What's the matter?"_

"…_I'm…" She barely spoke above a whisper. "…I'm not a virgin…" A gut-wrenching sob. "And I always believed in abstinence until marriage!"_

_I didn't know what to say. "…Anzu…"_

"_Just say it, Yugi! I'm a slut and a horrible person!" she screamed._

"_No…you're not, Anzu." _You can overcome this Anzu—you can overcome anything.

"_You just don't understand!" She hung up the phone._

At least once a week, a nearly identical conversation occurred. Every week, at 2 AM, when she realized that the boy she'd slept with was no longer at her bedside.

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	2. Part II: Hypocrites

_**Breathe (2 AM)**_

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Part II: Hypocrites

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_Mokuba's_ _Point of View_

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I despise KaibaCorp meetings. Or at least those idiots who show up to the meetings.

I know my brother doesn't care that they whisper among themselves—that they all think Ni-sama is too young to run a gaming corporation. But I care. They have no idea what my brother went through to get this far! He earned ownership of this company through hard work and sacrifice!

They're all here like it's some kind of freak show. They're here to watch a teenaged president of a multi-billion dollar company and his kid brother attempt to run a company full of imbeciles and rats, praying that the one person with a noble cause will ultimately fail.

Is it so wrong that my brother wants to transform this once military-driven empire into something that will impact the world in a positive way?

He's been working so hard to make KaibaLand a reality. But lately, I'm afraid he's been overexerting himself. At least a few months ago, he would set aside his work once in a while for dueling.

Ever since the Pharaoh left, though, he seems to have lost interest.

"_I'll duel again when I meet someone who can actually duel out of a paper bag."_

"_What about Yugi Mutou?"_

"_Yugi never presented a challenge to me. There's only one person besides myself that I acknowledge as a true duelist."_

"_Who's that, Seto?"_

"_Never mind."_

Well, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who my brother was referring to.

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	3. Part III: Running From Reality

Warnings: alcohol references

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_**Breathe (2 AM)**_

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Part III: Running From Reality

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_Honda's Point of View_

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Jonouchi swore he'd never end up like his father. I believed him, too—that is, until the Pharaoh left.

Jonouchi was used to running away from his problems. Back in middle school, before we met Yugi, both of us had used gang fights as our escape from reality. For some reason, the physical pain seemed to numb the pain we felt inside of us.

But when the Pharaoh left, Jonouchi turned to alcohol to drown his sorrows. He'd lost his best friend, and he didn't know how to handle it.

I'd tried reasoning with him. "_Jonouchi, snap out of it, man! __Yugi__ is your friend. The Pharaoh…he was just a part of Yugi."_

"_Yeah, well I don't want a half a friend!" he snapped. "I want my whole friend!"_

"_There's nothing you can do, buddy. Yugi chose to end it this way."_

"_The Yugi I know wouldn't have killed a friend!" he screamed. "__Yugi__ would've found another way!!"_

He spends most nights at the Domino City Bar, getting drunk and reminiscing…when he wakes up, he thinks it's all a dream and that Yami never left.

It's an endless cycle of drunken euphoria dashed by intermittent splices of stone-cold reality.

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	4. Part IV: Lying Smiles, Beautiful Lies

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_**Breathe (2 AM)**_

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Part IV: Lying Smiles; Beautiful Lies

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_Anzu's Point of View_

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Yugi tries not to let it on, but he took the Pharaoh's departure really hard. As much as he assures us that he is happy with his new life and living independently, I know it's a lie. As usual, he's just trying to protect me from his own pain and sadness.

What makes him think his façade will prevent us from seeing the truth?

I just wish he would smile a little more often.

On the rare occasion that a sincere smile graces his face, it lights up all of his features. For a split second, it seems just like old times.

But these times are becoming fewer and farther between.

I wish there was some way I could comfort him, just to let him know he's not alone.

But I can't. Gone are the days that I could put a reassuring arm around his shoulders and tell him, with complete honesty, that it was going to be okay.

Because I'd be lying to him the same way he's been lying to us.

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I just want to reiterate that these are vignettes, which means they are intended to be short. They're supposed to, quintessentially, capture a snapshot in time.

Thanks to all who reviewed.

Please continue to let me know your thoughts.


	5. Part V: Light at Each End of the Tunnel

Warning: a little not-so-nice language. (We heart you Seto Kaiba!!!)

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_**Breathe (2 AM)**_

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Part V: Light at Each End of the Tunnel

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_Seto Kaiba's Point of View_

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I don't understand what the hell is wrong with Yugi and Idiots Incorporated. They've all been moping around these past few months for no reason, and frankly, it's pissing me off. Yugi won't even duel anymore because he's too depressed that his "aibou" left him.

What is his problem, anyway? It wasn't like Yugi did anything to stop the Other Yugi from "moving on." Yugi only has himself to blame for being so predictably careless and stupid.

Now there's no point in _me_ dueling anymore, either. Yugi's a joke, and I've finally regained my rightful title as King of Games.

For some reason, though, it doesn't feel like a true achievement unless I've defeated Other Yugi.

I've already spent too much time thinking about this. I have work to do.

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	6. Part VI: Hourglass Glued to the Table

Hey, I don't know if anyone noticed this, but if you look carefully at the prior vignettes, even though they were from person x's point of view, the person often spoke of someone else (e.g., Yugi about Anzu, Mokuba about Seto, Hiroto about Jonouchi, Anzu about Yugi, and Seto about Yugi [and his friends, respectively). For the first time, in this vignette, the character will actually talk about himself, rather than talking about how other people are dealing with the Pharaoh's demise/disappearance.

This one's a little longer than the rest, but I hope it wraps up the story nicely. It's the final installment.

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_**Breathe (2 AM)**_

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Part VI: Hourglass Glued to the Table

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_Yugi's Point of View_

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As much as I'd like to go on about how Yami's disappearance affected Anzu, Jonouchi, and the others…I know it won't make the emptiness I feel go away.

Yes, it's true that the Pharaoh had a profound impact on everyone he came in contact with—even people like Kaiba, who stubbornly refuse to believe in the concepts of friendship and unity in which the Pharaoh had become, in some way, symbolic. But the impression he had on those closer to him was influenced greatly by the friendship we shared with him.

I thought I was ready to be my own person. I wasn't.

I mean, what does winning a duel have to do with living as an individual and going about life making decisions for oneself every day? Life is far too multifaceted for all its necessary skills to be encompassed by a single game of Duel Monsters.

Before I completed the Millennium Puzzle, I felt like half of a person. I only felt whole while I was with Yami. Our personalities balanced each other out and worked in harmony.

But once again, I am half-empty. I have to make do with what I have and attempt to find something—or someone—that will fill the partial void in my chest.

Maybe that's what life is about. Finding that companion, that special someone, that will fill in the empty spaces. But in order to know that it's the right person, you have to open your heart to them. Even though it makes you vulnerable, you do it because taking a chance to let someone be in your life is better than being alone forever.

Our time is limited. I am sorry for Yami, whose life was cut short, but am glad to have known him.

I will not wait around for another person to complete me. I will seek out him or her, and in the meantime, enjoy being in my friends' company.

Carpe diem.

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-owari-

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This is it. It's over. I hope you enjoyed this.

Please let me know what you thought of the ending.


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